Start with the commercial solar and EV charging investment decision
Commercial solar and EV charging in Georgia should be evaluated as a meter-specific operating project. Identify who will charge, when vehicles are parked, what charging service the business promises and how the facility buys electricity. Then compare electrical capacity, site construction, charging controls and solar generation together. An annual solar-production estimate does not show that chargers can run independently of the grid or that the project reduces peak demand.
Use the serving Georgia utility’s written tariff for your site. The financial model should describe how the whole facility operates after chargers and solar are added. Read the commercial demand-charge guide for the detailed tariff method, then apply it to the charging service you need.
Choose the charging service you actually need
A workplace benefit, hotel amenity, customer parking service and fleet depot have different obligations. Employees may park for a long workday. A fleet may need a defined energy amount before a dispatch deadline. Customer charging may need clear public access, payment support and reliable availability. Do not choose equipment speed from a marketing label before defining the use case.
The DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center workplace guide, checked September 30, 2026, provides useful planning context for goals, administration and equipment choice. Apply those questions to your actual vehicles and dwell times. No generic miles-per-hour claim substitutes for vehicle-specific charging acceptance and a supported electrical design.
| Business purpose | Required planning inputs | Operational question |
|---|---|---|
| Employee charging | Expected users, arrival/departure and daily needs | Who manages access and sharing? |
| Fleet charging | Routes, vehicle schedules and departure targets | What happens when a vehicle arrives late? |
| Retail or hospitality | Parking duration, customer expectations and access | Who resolves payment or availability problems? |
| Multifamily | Ownership, resident allocation and billing goals | Who pays for electricity and account services? |
| Public-facing service | Utilization scenarios and support obligations | Is the operating business case sound without optimistic traffic? |
If the project depends on a charging business you have not operated before, separate electrical feasibility from revenue feasibility. An installer can investigate wiring and equipment, but projected customer utilization needs its own evidence. Do not treat future charging revenue as guaranteed financing support.
Decide which meter serves the project
Find the existing meter, tariff, service arrangement and facility interval data. Ask whether chargers will operate behind that meter or on a separate service. The answer affects solar allocation, demand charges, utility work and recurring fees. A solar array on the building does not automatically offset consumption on another account.
As checked September 30, 2026, Georgia Power’s business tariff page lists several commercial schedules and a time-of-use electric-vehicle charging schedule for qualifying dedicated premises. That listing is not proof your mixed-use facility can select it. Request an eligibility and metering answer from Georgia Power for the proposed arrangement, or obtain the equivalent answer from your actual provider.
Keep the alternatives on one comparison sheet: chargers on the current service, a separate charging service and a managed charging arrangement. Each should include utility charges and physical construction. A lower energy rate can be outweighed by separate service cost or other recurring obligations.
Include the civil and site work in the quote
A charging cabinet is not the complete parking project. Request a site plan showing accessible routes, vehicle circulation, equipment protection, conduit paths, trenching and restoration. The applicable authorities and project designer should confirm accessibility, parking and other code requirements rather than copying another site’s layout.
Ask who owns utility-location coordination, damaged-surface repair and any required drainage or pavement work. A proposal that excludes trenching until after equipment is ordered can expose the business to a cost decision it should have made earlier.
For a proposed solar carport, compare the structure and parking implications separately. Foundations, vehicle clearances and usable parking remain important even if the solar output is attractive. See commercial solar layout choices before assuming a carport is the simplest way to power chargers.
| Cost group | Quote detail to request |
|---|---|
| Charging equipment | Exact models, connectors, supported functions and warranty |
| Electrical distribution | Panels, feeders, transformer/service work and controls |
| Site construction | Trenching, foundations, barriers, pavement and restoration |
| Solar scope | Layout, equipment, interconnection and production assumptions |
| Communications | Connectivity, network services and loss-of-connection behavior |
| Operations | Software, payment processing, support, inspection and maintenance duties |
| Approvals | Permit, utility and any site-review responsibilities |
Make charging controls part of procurement
If the business case depends on limiting simultaneous charging, require a supported control sequence. Name the devices, maximum site demand, user priorities and fallback behavior. A Wi-Fi app alone does not prove that the installed system will respect the intended electrical or billing limit.
Ask what happens if communications fail, a charger restarts, one driver overrides scheduling or several vehicles plug in simultaneously. The controller must serve both the electrical design and the charging service promise. A conservative limit may protect demand cost while leaving a vehicle short of its departure target; that trade-off should be visible.
Do not specify a brand pairing without current manufacturer documentation for the exact models. Sunburst’s EV charging service is the service context, not a claim that every public network, DC fast charger or fleet integration is offered. Confirm the commercial configuration and operating responsibilities in the assessment.
Compare solar-only, managed charging and storage separately
Build a baseline case with the expected charging load and no solar. Add managed charging as a separate case. Then compare solar with the same charging policy, and finally evaluate storage if a clear operating problem remains. This sequence prevents a proposal from assigning the benefit of scheduling entirely to the solar array or battery.
Use intervals that match the tariff and available data. Ask the designer to include cloudy periods, weekends, seasonal facility changes and a busy charging day. A model that assumes every charger runs only during ideal solar production can understate imports and fail to identify the controlling peak.
Storage can be considered for a documented peak or resilience objective, but it adds capital cost, controls and operating obligations. A battery should not be added solely because the phrase solar-powered charging sounds more complete. The commercial battery cost guide helps organize that separate installed scope.
Check programs without building the purchase around an assumption
Georgia Power’s commercial charger rebate page, checked September 30, 2026, identifies a business-customer program with project-specific application information. Confirm current eligibility, funding, approved equipment, application sequence and payment conditions directly before deducting anything from an investment model. No rebate amount or availability is promised here.
Commercial tax treatment also requires separate current professional review. Do not apply a homeowner incentive assumption to business-owned solar or chargers. Ask your accountant to identify the applicable law, project dates and documentation before presenting an after-tax return.
Budget for the operating owner after installation
Assign someone to user support, network accounts, billing settings, access rules and contractor service calls. Determine who can change charge limits and who reviews utility bills after activation. Uncontrolled changes can invalidate the original operating model even when all the equipment remains functional.
Request an acceptance plan covering electrical limits, simultaneous sessions, access/payment functions where included, communications failure and owner training. Commissioning should demonstrate the promised functions safely. Keep as-built drawings, utility records and account ownership information with the facilities team.
For a Sunburst discussion, gather utility bills, interval data if available, a parking plan, vehicle schedules and the person authorized to approve property work. Request a commercial solar and EV feasibility assessment and ask the team to confirm the offered project scope. The useful output is a clear investment decision with unresolved conditions listed, not a promise that solar will make charging free.
Build a proposal that the finance and facilities teams can both use
The investment proposal should answer two different audiences. Facilities needs to know what will be installed, how it fits the site and what operating responsibilities it creates. Finance needs to know the complete capital cost, recurring obligations and the basis for any projected savings. A proposal that answers only one audience can leave a project approved without a practical operating plan.
Ask for a clear scope schedule with four groups: required work, optional additions, allowances and exclusions. Required work must include everything necessary for the stated service. Optional additions should improve a defined outcome rather than conceal missing essentials. Allowances need a pricing or approval process, while exclusions should identify who will supply the omitted work.
If the business leases the property, confirm who can authorize roof, parking and electrical modifications. Ask whether the lease term supports the planned ownership period and who owns installed equipment at the end. An attractive energy model cannot resolve a missing landlord agreement. A legal adviser should review the property documents when the obligations are unclear.
Where multiple vendors are involved, request one responsibility schedule. The solar installer, electrical contractor, civil contractor and charging-network provider may each offer reasonable terms, but the business still needs to know who resolves problems between those scopes.
| Proposal question | Finance needs | Facilities needs |
|---|---|---|
| What is the complete project price? | Capital total and payment schedule | Included work and exclusions |
| What varies after site investigation? | Allowances and change authorization | Investigation tasks and design dependencies |
| What remains after installation? | Recurring fees and service budget | Operator, support contacts and access duties |
| What creates projected savings? | Baseline and sensitivity analysis | Required schedules and control settings |
| What limits the design? | Cost of alternatives | Physical and operating constraints |
| What happens when the property changes? | Transfer, removal and remaining obligations | Access, records and modification process |
Do not accept a proposal that lists a charger model but omits the software or account services needed for its promised function. If the business expects paid public access, the payment arrangement and customer support need a written scope. If it expects employee-only access, the credential and access-control arrangement should be equally clear.
Use a sensitivity review before making the investment decision
A financial model is useful when you can see what would make the result worse. Ask the analyst to change one important assumption at a time: charging utilization, demand coincidence, export value, equipment availability, operating fees or the ownership period. This reveals which facts need stronger evidence before the business commits.
Begin with the existing facility’s actual bills and interval record where available. Add the expected charging demand with stated vehicle assumptions. Do not assume every parking space will host an EV from the first day. If adoption is uncertain, compare a smaller initial installation with a documented expansion path.
Then evaluate the solar design under the same operational assumptions. Solar savings should follow the tariff and the timing of generation. If the model assigns all annual production the same value, ask whether exports, off-hours generation and seasonal load changes have been handled properly.
Demand savings need particular care. The relevant peak can occur when solar output is low, after staff leave or during a charging surge. A battery or charge controller may help address a defined peak, but its supported operation, cost and limits must be included. Do not treat a theoretical avoided peak as a result that will happen every billing period.
Use a decision log rather than one optimistic return figure:
- Which inputs come from measured facility data?
- Which inputs come from proposed equipment documents?
- Which inputs are assumptions about future drivers or schedules?
- Which tariff provisions have been confirmed in writing?
- Which costs remain provisional pending site or utility review?
- Which controls are necessary for the modeled result?
- What operating changes must staff maintain?
- Which less expensive alternative was considered?
A sound project may still have uncertainty. The useful distinction is whether that uncertainty is visible, bounded and owned by someone. If a major unresolved input could reverse the decision, condition approval on resolving it rather than filling the gap with a confident estimate.
Sequence the work so the business can keep operating
The construction plan should reflect the facility’s working hours, parking demand and critical operations. Identify which service interruptions or access restrictions are acceptable and who can approve them. A business that cannot stop a process during the day may need a different installation sequence from an office that closes each evening.
Create milestones for site investigation, utility review, design approval, equipment ordering, civil work, electrical installation, inspection and commissioning. Keep these milestones separate. Equipment delivery does not mean the site is ready, and physical installation does not mean utility permission or software acceptance has been completed.
Ask which tasks can proceed safely in parallel and which depend on an earlier result. Foundations and trench routes, for example, should not be fixed while a utility service arrangement remains unresolved. The contractor should explain the dependencies and the process for approving a revised schedule.
If chargers must be available by a business launch or fleet-delivery date, identify a contingency. That may mean temporary use of existing public charging, a smaller supported first phase or a revised operating schedule. The contingency should be practical for the vehicles and business, not an unverified promise that permits can be rushed.
| Milestone | Evidence before moving forward |
|---|---|
| Feasibility approved | Property authority, service objective and major site constraints |
| Design complete | Electrical/site drawings, exact equipment and responsibility schedule |
| Procurement released | Required approvals, substitutions process and accepted budget |
| Construction complete | Installed scope and recorded field changes |
| Acceptance complete | Tests, inspections, utility status and account access |
| Operations transferred | Named operator, support process and owner records |
Keep a record of equipment substitutions. A different charger may affect connectors, controls, network services or program eligibility. A different solar inverter may affect the electrical design. A substitution should be reviewed against the original outcome rather than accepted merely because the product is in stock.
Commission the service the business paid for
Acceptance testing should demonstrate the functions stated in the proposal. For a charging project, that can include simultaneous sessions, load limits, scheduled operation, user access and payment functions where those features are included. For solar, it includes the installed equipment record, monitoring and approved operating arrangement. The exact test plan belongs to the project professionals.
Ask for a test with the agreed maximum number of vehicles or a supported equivalent procedure. A single successful charging session does not demonstrate site-level control across all connectors. Likewise, a monitoring screen showing solar production does not prove that the charging controller responds to it as promised.
Where the design depends on connectivity, test the documented fallback safely. Determine whether charging stops, continues at a defined limit or requires operator action when a network service is unavailable. The business should know how users receive notice and who responds.
Retain final drawings, equipment serials, inspection records, utility correspondence, commissioning results, warranty documents and account ownership details. Keep administrative access under the business’s control, with appropriate permissions for contractors. A project is easier to operate when the facilities team can find the records without relying on a former employee’s personal account.
Keep expansion readiness measurable
A phased project should specify what has actually been reserved for later work. Empty conduit, spare panel space, a planned transformer allowance and software capacity are different provisions. Ask which exist in the installed scope, which remain only drawing assumptions and what investigation will be required before adding chargers.
Do not call a project future-proof. The next vehicle, tariff or equipment generation may change the design. Keep a dated expansion record identifying the expected number of connectors, likely schedules, available electrical capacity and site constraints. That record helps the next designer assess changes without treating every original assumption as permanent.
If expansion is uncertain, compare the cost of documented provisions now with the cost of revisiting the site later. Approve only the provisions that fit a credible business plan. A smaller initial installation with clear limits can be a more responsible purchase than an oversized project based on unsupported future utilization.
Questions Georgia commercial buyers ask
Can solar make commercial EV charging free?
No purchase should assume free charging. Solar has an installed cost and operating obligations, while the facility may still import electricity and pay fixed or demand charges. The model should show how production changes the bill and which charges remain.
Do I need a separate meter for the chargers?
That depends on the service arrangement, tariff eligibility and utility decision. A separate meter can create a different rate opportunity but also additional construction and recurring charges. Compare complete alternatives before assuming separation is cheaper.
Should a workplace choose the fastest charger available?
Not automatically. Match charging equipment to parking duration, vehicle needs, electrical capacity and the service promise. Faster equipment can introduce a larger simultaneous load or greater site scope without improving an employee’s actual departure outcome.
Can solar charging continue during an outage?
Do not assume it. Standard grid-connected solar and ordinary charging equipment do not establish an islanded charging service. A supported backup arrangement requires its own design, isolation, equipment compatibility and load priorities.
Will a rebate pay for the project?
A published program page is only a starting point. Confirm eligibility, equipment, application timing, funding and payment terms directly. The investment should identify what happens if a projected incentive is unavailable or paid later than expected.
What should I bring to an assessment?
Bring utility bills, the rate code, available interval data, a parking plan, vehicle schedules and property-authorization information. Identify whether the goal is staff charging, fleet readiness or public service. These inputs help the team determine the offered scope and the next investigation.
Sources and methodology
Researched September 30, 2026. This guide uses a staged investment method: define charging service, identify the meter and tariff, investigate physical scope, compare controlled operating cases and assign acceptance and operating responsibilities. It contains no Sunburst project results, installation-price claims or assured savings.
- Georgia Power business tariffs: account-specific commercial rate and dedicated-charging context; checked September 30, 2026.
- Georgia Power commercial charger program: current program reference; eligibility and funding must be confirmed for the project.
- DOE workplace charging planning: charging goals and operational administration; checked September 30, 2026.
- DOE public charging context: different public-service considerations; checked September 30, 2026.
The serving utility’s applicable tariff, current manufacturer documents and project approvals must support the final design. Commercial tax treatment requires separate current advice from a qualified professional. No public-network operation, DC fast-charging service or specialty equipment integration is implied without Sunburst’s written project scope.